Last Updated on September 1, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake

LG V35 The LG V35 is one of the better smartphones you can get from the Life’s Good company at the moment. But it still comes with the same factory limitations you would come to expect from an Android operating system. More smartphones are arriving out of the box with unlocked bootloaders these days, which is quite remarkable, but it’s not common enough yet for you to feel like you have made a bad purchase should yours come locked instead. The LG V35 does indeed come with its bootloader locked out of the box, but thankfully there are tutorials to help you unlock it safely and successfully.

The following tutorial demonstrates how to unlock the LG V35 bootloader and get root access to the Android operating system.

Notes:

Part One: Establishing Oreo Baseline

The files that unlock the bootloader on the LG V35 only work when the smartphone is running Android Oreo. Thus, if you have upgraded beyond Oreo, you need to downgrade. And if you are already on Oreo, you need to perform a hard reset to establish the Oreo baseline.

Those who need to download will need the LG firmware. You can download the firmware from the LG website and flash it with the Dev-Patched LGUP.

Part Two: Modify the Partition

1. Enable OEM Unlock on Android by navigating to Settings > System > About Phone > Software info and tap on the Build Number at least seven times until it says you are now a developer.

2. Boot the LG V35 in EDL 9008 mode. This mode may be tricky to get into via hardware keys, as I have checked several sources and they all vary in the instructions. Thankfully, there are more ways to get into this mode than just using hardware keys. You can also use the fastboot oem edl ADB command for instance.

Note: If this step did not work, please leave a comment as to how you got the LG V35 into EDL 9008 mode so others can use it as a guide.

3. Open QFIL on the desktop.

4. Click on the Browse button and upload the firehose file (prog_ufs_firehose_Sdm845_lgev40.elf) to this location.

5. Click on Tools > Partition Manager. Select the correct firehose. QFIL will list the partitions. Look for the abl_a, laf_a, abl_b, and laf_b partitions.

6. Right-click the abl_a partition and then click on Manage Partition Data > Read Data.

7. Navigate to where the file is extracted. Rename the file abl_a.img and copy it to a new folder.

8. Repeat the process for the rest of the partitions: laf_a, abl_b, and laf_b partitions.

9. Get fastboot from QFIL by right-clicking on abl_a and navigating to Manage Partition Data > Load Image and upload the abl_a.img file you prepared earlier to this location. Repeat the same steps for the abl_b file.

10. Use QFIL to erase the laf’s by right-clicking on laf_a and then clicking Manage Partition Data > Erase and confirming the laf_b you want to erase. Unplug the LG V35 from its USB cable, press and hold Power + Volume Down until the boot logo appears, and let the smartphone reboot before powering it down again.

Part Three: Unlocking Bootloader

1. Unlock the bootloader. Start by pressing and holding Power + Volume Up to get into Fastboot Mode and then connect the smartphone to the PC with its USB cable.

2. Open an elevated Command Prompt window directly or with Windows Terminal and open the directory where minimal ADB and Fastboot are installed (adb.exe and fastboot.exe).

3. From the command line, type fastboot oem unlock and press the Enter key on your keyboard to confirm the command. The bootloader should be unlocked. If it did not work, type the fastboot devices command to see if Fastboot is properly connected.

Part Four: Installing Firmware

You now need to install the firmware using a firmware flashing tool made for LG or Qualcomm. You can use the LG Update Tool (LGUP) which is linked above.

Note:

This section is only for those who are not running on Oreo already. If you are on Oreo and have performed the hard reset, skip to part four below.

1. Those looking to upgrade from Oreo to Pie or Android 10 must restore the laf_a, laf_b, abl_a, and abl_b partitions to recover Download Mode.

2. Download the firmware file from LG. You may potentially use another source but download at your own risk. Flash the firmware in Download Mode and using LGUP on the desktop.

Part Five: Gaining Root Access (Optional)

You can get root access now with Magisk. This is not the simplest of methods we cover for Magisk, but we have verified this works thanks to a senior member at XDA Developers.

Notes:

  • You need to download the latest available version of Magisk.
  • If your device gets stuck in Fastboot Mode, download the EDL and FTMV35Pie files.

1. Open QFIL and click on Tools > Partition Manager. Click OK when it asks if you selected the correct firehose.

2. When QFIL lists the partitions, you should see boot_a and boot_b.

3. Now you need to create a patched boot image with Magisk.

4. Copy boot_a.img and boot_b.img to the Download folder.

5. Open Magisk and click Install.

6. Open the Downloads folder and change the magisk_patched.img file name to magisk_patched_a.img.

7. Copy the magisk_patched_a.img and magisk_patched_b to the PC’s desktop.

8. Boot the smartphone into its 9008 EDL mode.

9. Open QFIL and navigate to Tools > Partition Manager.

10. Find boot_a, right-click on it and select Load Image. Upload the magisk_patched_a.img to here. And then repeat the steps for the boot_b and load the magisk_patched_b.img file.

In conclusion, that is how to unlock the LG V35 bootloader and get root access to its operating system.